Wordless Wednesday - You Can't Turn Your Back for a Minute Around Here!

Lucky Golden

The weather has, at LAST, turned dry and warmer here. So this week, Charlie got to come along on an errand run. First up was an errand on Hayden Island in the Columbia River, where we took a break to look at the boats, admire the flowers, and sit in the shade.


Then back across the river to pick up mail for a friend who's traveling. There we took some time to walk along the levee and discovered "the Cat".




After all that hard work, it was time to kick back and just enjoy! So we headed back into town for lunch at the Lucky Lab.

The Lab is a Portland institution, where pooches and their people can sit outside together, enjoy some food and a brew, and meet and greet other patrons. We met some new pups, Sophie and Jackson, and Charlie scored lots of pats and treats.





It was a perfect day -- we "did some business" ;) and had some good fun, too!

 

Wordless Wednesday

Strawberry Season!

Here in Portland, we look forward to Oregon's strawberry season. It only lasts a few weeks and the berries are small and too fragile to ship, but they are so delicious!

Burgerville (the Northwest's "fresh, local, sustainable" fast-food alternative) runs a seasonal special on strawberry shortcake every June. It's our first taste of the local berries, and even Charlie gets in on the action!

A bite for Charlie

Another bite for Charlie

"Hey, give the spoon back!"

Licking it clean

 

The Best House Guests!

Last weekend we had company and lots of it! 2 people staying with us and 20 for lunches every day. Fortunately, some of our guests were dog people and had a good time with Charlie. Several even got down on the floor with him and snuggled (we call that being "dog bait" and don't actually recommend it unless you enjoy being pinned by a dog).

Our friend, Derek, as you can see below, indulged him in endless games of Chase Charlie. I know Charlie was unhappy to see him go and is hoping he comes back soon!

Laurelhurst Park

Yesterday, Charlie and I met up with Gabbie and her mom for some fun in Laurelhurst Park, a huge beautiful park in SE Portland with a big off-leash area. This represented two firsts for Charlie -- the first time he's been to Laurelhurst (a shocking admission for one who only lives a couple miles away) and the first time Charlie's been off-leash with other dogs. Score! on both accounts!

Charlie and Gabbie, of course, were happy to see each other!

They met up with this fluffy little white dog. Charlie tried to get some "chase" going, but with no luck.

Then there was this stolid little otter-shaped guy. Charlie chased him to us, whereupon he rolled over and begged for mercy and belly-rubs.

There were lots of other meet-and-greets of both dogs and humans, all of which went exceedingly well. It was a low key day at the park -- perfect for a first experience.

As we left the park, Gabbie's mom suggested a stop at the treat tree. Treat Tree? She led us up a street and around a corner to a small tree with a drinking bucket at its foot and carrot-shaped containers hanging from its branches... each holding a dog treat!

It was a perfect end to a great outing. I don't think Charlie could have had more fun!